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This is definitely the most approachable guide to time management that I’ve read. Whereas other self-help books sometimes talk down to readers, reading Work Less, Do More is more like having a conversation with a great mentor. The book does an excellent job of breaking up organizing time into simple steps, which are designed to address everything from the most basic to advanced levels of time management skills. Whether you’re a mess or just looking to brush up on organization, you’ll pick up something new in this book.
One of the most helpful things about Work Less, Do More is that it’s structured into a day-by-day approach. Jan Yager suggests that the program in the book takes two weeks, with each chapter covering a different aspect of time management for each day, but she also points out that Work Less, Do More could work just as well if you read it straight through and apply the topics at your own pace. (I decided to take the reading straight through approach, and it worked just fine for me!)
There’s plenty of information in each chapter, and Yager keeps the chapters short enough and focused enough that you never feel overwhelmed. The basic principles in each chapter will help people who are just beginning to learn to manage their time more effectively, while the variety of strategies Yager offers to deal with each challenge means that even experienced time managers will find something new. For example, one of the first chapters stressed the importance of setting goals and then writing those goals in a list. Now, making lists is my thing—I never leave home without my planner, and I always have a to-do list. Work Less, Do More told me that these skills were a good place to start, but I also learned that it’s important to break lists down into time frames. The tables in the book prompted me to figure out plans for the next week, month, six months, year and two-year time frames. Now I have a much clearer idea of where my day-to-day planning is headed and what I need to focus on in order to achieve my long-term goals.
The other aspect of this book that I found especially helpful was that it covers all areas of time management. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in improving study or work habits that you can forget that there are other important areas to invest your time. Yager balances chapters on structuring business meetings with sections about how to make the most of time with family and friends as well as how to find quiet personal time. It was a pleasant surprise to me that a time management book would value my family time and personal activities as much as my office productivity!
It’s easy to put the strategies of Work Less, Do More into practice because the point is to find a productive balance in all areas of one’s life, not to become a workaholic. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking to improve or develop time management skills.
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Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover by Jan Yager
dancinthrulife, August 30, 2008
This is definitely the most approachable guide to time management that I’ve read. Whereas other self-help books sometimes talk down to readers, reading Work Less, Do More is more like having a conversation with a great mentor. The book does an excellent job of breaking up organizing time into simple steps, which are designed to address everything from the most basic to advanced levels of time management skills. Whether you’re a mess or just looking to brush up on organization, you’ll pick up something new in this book.One of the most helpful things about Work Less, Do More is that it’s structured into a day-by-day approach. Jan Yager suggests that the program in the book takes two weeks, with each chapter covering a different aspect of time management for each day, but she also points out that Work Less, Do More could work just as well if you read it straight through and apply the topics at your own pace. (I decided to take the reading straight through approach, and it worked just fine for me!)
There’s plenty of information in each chapter, and Yager keeps the chapters short enough and focused enough that you never feel overwhelmed. The basic principles in each chapter will help people who are just beginning to learn to manage their time more effectively, while the variety of strategies Yager offers to deal with each challenge means that even experienced time managers will find something new. For example, one of the first chapters stressed the importance of setting goals and then writing those goals in a list. Now, making lists is my thing—I never leave home without my planner, and I always have a to-do list. Work Less, Do More told me that these skills were a good place to start, but I also learned that it’s important to break lists down into time frames. The tables in the book prompted me to figure out plans for the next week, month, six months, year and two-year time frames. Now I have a much clearer idea of where my day-to-day planning is headed and what I need to focus on in order to achieve my long-term goals.
The other aspect of this book that I found especially helpful was that it covers all areas of time management. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in improving study or work habits that you can forget that there are other important areas to invest your time. Yager balances chapters on structuring business meetings with sections about how to make the most of time with family and friends as well as how to find quiet personal time. It was a pleasant surprise to me that a time management book would value my family time and personal activities as much as my office productivity!
It’s easy to put the strategies of Work Less, Do More into practice because the point is to find a productive balance in all areas of one’s life, not to become a workaholic. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking to improve or develop time management skills.